Jake Ryan of Monbulk has taken out the Victorian Under 18 Mountain Running title.
By Tania Martin
PUTTING his strength and endurance to the test has paid off for Yarra Ranges distance runner Jake Ryan.
He has taken out the Under 18 Victorian Championships for the 8.4 kilometre mountain run.
Ryan, 17, kept his composure in the gruelling run at the Dandenong Ranges National Park, on Saturday, 25 August, beating off 30 competitors to take the title.
He finished the race in under an hour with an impressive time of 40 minutes and 43 seconds.
Ryan said at the beginning of the race he was running with a pack of competitors but as he saw the finish line he dug deep and broke away to cross the line as the champion.
“The race was hard and gruelling but it was the best feeling to cross the finish line first,” he said.
For Ryan running is everything and he hopes to one day to make it on to the professional circuit.
But for now this up and coming runner trains six times a week, twice at Knox Athletics Club and the rest of the time in Monbulk.
It’s not uncommon to see Ryan pounding the pavement in Monbulk in the pursuit to perfect his running stride, time and endurance levels.
